HEALTH

Parliament Estimates Committee visits PGI
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19
The 13-member Parliament Estimates Committee led by Prof Ummareddy Venkateshwaralu today visited different areas of the PGI, including emergency wards, advanced paediatric centre (APC), new OPD building and telemedicine centre. The committee also enquired about the patient load, faculty and non-faculty strength of the institute and the facilities offered by the PGI .

About a fortnight ago, the committee had sent a 51-point questionnaire, asking about aims and objectives of the PGI to which the institute had sent its reply. Members of the committee, at their meeting with the institute administration which was represented by the PGI Director, Prof S.K. Sharma, histopathology head, Prof A.K. Banerjee, and ophthalmology head, Prof Amod Gupta, sought clarifications to some of the queries in the questionnaire.

However, other details of the meeting could not be ascertained as the PGI had been directed by the chairman of the committee not to talk to the media as the matter discussed during the meeting was totally confidential. Professor Venkateshwaralu also refused to speak to the press on observations made by the committee on the functioning and issues related to the PGI.

Sources, however, add that members of the committee were particularly interested about the type of research work carried out in the PGI, its future plans and the steps being taken to improve patient care by the institute.

PGI administration, on its part, explained that more than 400 research papers were published by the institute every year. Members of the committee were also apprised of its activities in various fields, including malaria and tuberculosis management, clinical research in human reproduction, mental health, quality control in clinical chemistry, coagulation haematology and clinical parasitology.

Members were briefed about the Department of Clinical Medicine which helps various departments to have in-depth research at the level of molecular biology and basic sciences to help correlate with various clinical problems like coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart and mal-absorption.

Meanwhile, various unions of PGI employees took the opportunity to present their memoranda to the visiting team. The PGI Medical Technologist Association (MTA) submitted a charter of demands to Professor Venkateshwaralu and demanded higher pay scale as per the recruitment qualifications and recommendations of the third, fourth and fifth pay commissions.

The association also demanded hospital patient care allowance, allowances at par with the non-faculty of the AIIMS and backlog promotion. According to Mr R.K. Khanchi, president, MTA, there was also a need for upgradation and modernisation of the laboratories in the PGI and an increase in the strength of the technical staff.

As president of the PGI Residential Complex Welfare Society, Mr Khanchi, also demanded a parking shed, community centre and shopping complex in the residential area.

The PGI Employees Union, in a memorandum submitted to Professor Venkateshwaralu, alleged corruption, embezzlement of funds, mismanagement, wastage of precious equipment amounting to crores of rupees, unfair labour practices, purchase and drug scam, negligence towards patients, prevalance of unhygienic conditions and increasing level of nosocomial infections in the institute.

According to the president of the association, Mr Subhash Chander, during the last 10 years, strained relationship between the PGI management and its employees was the cause of the present state of affairs.

The PGI Safai Karamchari Union demanded reservation in jobs for their children for the posts of safaiwala in the PGI. According to the president of the union, Mr Lachman Kalra, 50 per cent of the jobs in the reserved categories should be for their wards.

IMA to grade private hospitals
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh , June 19
The local branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) is planning to formulate a criteria for grading private hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories and X-ray centers of city and give them ‘IMA-approved certificates’ based on infrastructure and facilities available.

According to Dr G.S. Kochchar, president of the local branch of the IMA, the gradation was for the benefit of patients and would be based on emergency and other facilities available with a particular institution.

For this, the IMA would invite applications from 40 nursing homes and hospitals besides laboratories and other private institutions involved in medical health care. Dr Kochchar added that the participation would be voluntary and not mandatory.

The IMA in Delhi was already in the process of grading the private health care institutions in the capital. Dr Kochchar said the All-India IMA general secretary, Dr Sanjiv Malik, had assured him that a similar process would be initiated in Chandigarh with the help of a foreign-based certifying agency.

The local IMA also had plans to seek help of the Director Health Services, UT and the PGI Director and request them to be a part of the certifying team.

Anti-malaria camp
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19
The UT Director Health Services, Dr Rameshwar Chander, inaugurated an anti-malaria camp in Indira Colony here today. He stressed the need for involving masses in the malaria prevention and control programme of the UT Health Department.

The DHS also released pamphlets and posters that carried information on the prevention and control of malaria.

He stressed the need for maintaining hygiene and sanitation to prevent the spread of the disease.

Dr G.C. Bansal, Assistant Director of the Malaria Wing, talked about the activities of the department in the anti-malaria month. The team of the Malaria Wing collected 263 samples of blood and conducted on-the-spot medical examinations. A door-to-door survey was also conducted to check out coolers and other places where mosquitoes bred.

SPORTS

Sunil to attend camp at Bangalore
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19
Sunil Kumar of Shivalik Volleyball Academy, Chandigarh, has been selected to attend a coaching camp for Indian senior men volleyball team at SAI NS South Centre, Bangalore. The camp, which started on June 15, will continue up to July 31, according to his coach Mohan Nargeta.

The Indian team will participate in the Asian qualification tournament for the world championship to be held at Doha (Qatar) from August 10 to 13.

Sunil was member of the team which won state-level volleyball championships at Chandigarh. He also represented Indian youth volleyball in Iran in March. He again represented India in the Asian qualification tournament for the World Junior (men) Volleyball Championship at Islamabad from May 10 to 19.

The next session of the Shivalik volleyball academy will start on July 3, according to Mr D.S. Bedi, director, principal, Shivalik Public School, Chandigarh.

Cricket tourney

The Chandigarh Cricket Association (affiliated to the Punjab Cricket Association) will hold a league-cum-knockout under-16 cricket tournament from July 1, according to a press note issued by the association. The matches will be played at PCA grounds Mohali.

Those born after 1.9.1986 are eligible to participate in the tournament. Entries should reach house no 1466 III B2 Mohali before June 29.

Karate trials

Trials to select the Indian men and women teams for the sixth World Games, to be held at Akita, Japan, from August 16 to 26, will be held at Rink Hall, Patiala on July 8, according to a press note issued by the Sports Karate Federation of India. The trials are being organised by the Punjab Karate Association under the auspices of the Sports Karate Federation of India.

The weight categories for men are 60 kg, 65 kg,75 kg, 80 kg and open wt while trials for women will be held in the 53 kg, 60 kg and above 60 kg categories.

Powerlifting team

The selection committee of the Chandigarh Powerlifting Association has selected a sub-junior (boys) Chandigarh powerlifting team for participation in the second Sub-Junior (boys and girls) National Powerlifting Championship to be held at Lucknow from June 26 to 30.

The team is Gaganpreet Singh, Amarjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Vikramjit Singh, Satinder Singh, Vinod Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Suraj Kumar, Parminder Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Harinderpal Singh, Kamaldeep Singh.

H.S. Bansal and K.G. Thapar will accompany the team as coach and manager, respectively.

ADMINISTRATION

Eighty four encroachments removed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19
The enforcement staff of the UT Estate office, in a major operation, removed 84 encroachments put up by typists and notaries behind the Deputy Commissioner's office in Sector 17 today.

The tables and chairs, besides their typewriters and other belongings were seized by the staff.

Besides this, 17 others who had been served eviction notices earlier were also removed from there since the court had recently dismissed their appeal against the said orders.

Three khokhas on MCC land in Sector 41-D, three welding units and a rehri which had come up as permanent structures were removed.

They removed 17 banners and 12 advertisement boards from different parts of the city, particularly along the roadsides and the shopping areas..

The MC enforcement wing, meanwhile, issued as many as 121 challans. These include 34 in Mani Majra, 45 in Sectors 9, 14, 15, 16 and 17 and Rock Garden and 42 in Sectors 32, 35, 38 and 40. The staff also seized their goods.